


Wishes Go Up and the World Goes Round

by Northern_Star



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-16
Updated: 2011-08-16
Packaged: 2017-10-22 17:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/240581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Star/pseuds/Northern_Star
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter really couldn't let Carey spend his birthday all alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wishes Go Up and the World Goes Round

**Author's Note:**

> While I'm really very sure that a slashfic starring himself as one of the main characters is not what every hockey player dreams of getting for his birthday, I'm quite certain that this is totally the kind of stuff fangirls get a kick out of, so... without further ado, a little birthday fic, because today is his.

It's early afternoon, and Peter has just stepped out of the showers, a towel wrapped tightly around his hips, wiping his face with another. He heads blindly toward the changing room, right across the corridor, and stops cold as someone he's just about run into says, "Whoa, careful!"

As he takes the towel away from his face, Peter finds himself face to face with Carey Price whom he's actually never met in person before. Not _quite_ the best first meeting Peter could have hoped for, but it's too late to do anything about it now.

"Hi," he says, extending his hand a little awkwardly. "I'm Peter. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Same," says Carey shaking Peter's hand lightly. "So I guess you and I are going to be buddies for the next couple years, then, huh?"

Peter grins at that. He's been looking forward to this and hoping they hit it off. "Yeah, hopefully." Then, as a afterthought, he adds, "Happy birthday, by the way," as if that might somehow help recover from the earlier faux-pas of having almost run head first into the guy.

"Uh, thanks," says Carey, a small frown creasing his brow.

"It's on the first page of the website today," Peter explains. He wouldn't have known otherwise, really, he's not quite that obsessed with his new teammates--although, yeah, maybe he's spent long enough watching videos on the website that it might sound a bit creepy if he'd told anyone, which he totally won't.

Carey nods. "Ah, yeah, obviously," he half-mumbles in response.

Peter isn't really sure what exactly prompts him to ask, "Going out later to celebrate in style?" but he does and immediately regrets it, too. He's just trying to be friendly, though he probably looks a bit stupid in the first place, standing in the corridor, dripping wet, and dressed in nothing but a towel, asking a new teammate he barely knows about birthday plans, as if any of this really concerns him.

"Nah," says Carey waving a dismissive hand. "Quiet evening at home with my dog."

"What, seriously?" Peter replies, frowning. This isn't right, he thinks, and he instantly feels bad for him.

Carey shrugs. "Yeah, well, most of the guys aren't back yet, so the party-" he makes air-quotes around the word "-isn't for another couple of weeks."

"So you're all alone. On your birthday? That's not cool."

"It's really not a big deal," Carey insists. The expression on his face seems to say ' _I really don't know why you care._ '

"Yeah it is," says Peter, frowning still. Something like a lightbulb goes on in his mind right then, and forgetting the fact that he's still dripping wet, wearing nothing but a towel, and possibly already making the worst first impression ever, he goes on to ask, "What's your favorite restaurant?"

Carey blinks, surprised. "What?"

"Favorite restaurant? You know, somewhere you sit and they serve you food?" Peter says, a small, teasing smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes, I got that, I mean--"

"Ah come on, it's your birthday," Peter insists. "Wherever you like, my treat. I just feel bad thinking you're going to spend the evening all alone."

Carey cocks his head to the side, looking at him strangely for a moment before he finally says, "Well, there's this great little sushi place downtown that I haven't been to in a while."

"Sushi, sure," says Peter, hoping his surprise doesn't show. "We can do sushi." For some reason he'd been expecting something like a steakhouse, or an Italian restaurant maybe, not _sushi_. But the invitation is out there, and he can't imagine rescinding it now. Besides, it's not _his_ choice to make. So, okay, he doesn't like sushi, but obviously Carey does, so that's what it's going to be. A little bit of raw fish isn't going to kill him, after all, right?

They agree to meet there at seven, but when Carey tells him where the restaurant is, at the corner of some street that's parallel to another, none of which Peter has ever heard of before, he just looks back, his eyes glazing over a little bit. And the more Carey tries to explain where it is, the more confused Peter is. He hasn't been in Montreal more than a few days yet, and he's still trying to get his bearings--he almost got lost the first few times just coming here to the training facility, which barely involves more than crossing a bridge and driving in a straight line. If only the street signs weren't all in French...

Carey finally stops giving directions and, sounding really rather amused, says, "You have no idea where any of these streets are, do you?"

"I'll look it up and find it," Peter replies with a resolute nod.

"It might be easier if I pick you up on the way," Carey offers in a chuckle. "Where are you staying?"

Peter gives him the address, mispronouncing the name of the street in spectacular fashion, drawing another chuckle from Carey. Thankfully, he seems to know exactly where that is anyway; it's right near where he himself lived, his first year with the team.

With a quick, "See you later," Peter disappears into the changing room where he can finally get dressed. He's suddenly thankful for having spent a few extra minutes in the shower earlier, or he might never have run into his teammate at all. He smiles at the idea that they're having dinner together later; he smiles a lot at that, actually. By the time he gets done buttoning his shirt he's started humming a song he doesn't remember the words to--at least, he _thinks_ that's when he started humming it.

=+=+=

The evening goes by pleasantly, if a little too fast for Peter's taste. He'd worried at first, noting that people were staring at them as they walked into the sushi place together. But if they were recognized, which Carey assured him that there was no way they _hadn't_ been, no one bothered them at all, not even once. And okay, so sushi still isn't something Peter really likes too much, but all in all, it wasn't that objectionable. Sake probably helped. Then again, if he's completely honest about it, Peter would probably have agreed to eat anything at all, just for the pleasure of the company he was in. In this case he'd easily have made an exception for things he doesn't necessarily consider _edible_ in the first place--which, considering he's eaten _seaweed_ , he figures he totally has, actually. And it was worth every bite.

It seems like it's much too early for the evening to be over already, and yet somehow they're back in Carey's car again, pulling up in front of Peter's building.

"So tell me," Carey starts as he shifts to park. He turns toward Peter before going on, "Does this, how should I say...? Does this qualify as a date?"

"Oh, uh..." Eyes going a little wide, Peter feels heat slowly rising on his cheeks. He'd like for that to qualify as a date--very much so, in fact--but all of this is moving along a whole lot quicker than he ever expected it to, and he's a little dumbstruck, quite frankly.

"I'm just trying to figure out if you expect a kiss goodnight or not." There's a bit of a sparkle in Carey's eyes right then.

Peter just about turns crimson and his mouth forms a soundless "Oh."

A slow smile spreads across Carey's face and he leans in a little closer. "C'mere," he says in a whisper.

And it's totally awkward at first, but when Peter finally relaxes into it, it becomes a pretty damn great kiss. A very much unexpected one, but this whole entire day has just been one unexpected thing after the other, all of which have been entirely more pleasant than Peter would have thought they'd turn out to be, even.

"Thanks for dinner," says Carey when they pull apart a little later.

"It's nothing. Happy birthday," Peter offers awkwardly.

"It was," Carey replies, nodding slowly. "Maybe we can do this again next year."

"Oh, uh, yeah," says Peter. He's confused, bordering on crestfallen.

Carey flashes a teasing grin at him. "In the meantime maybe we can find other places to go to. You know, places you'll actually _like_..."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'd like that."

"Okay then," says Peter as he gets out of the car. "Good night."

He watches Carey drive off into the night. All things considered, Peter realizes, this probably _was_ the best first meeting he could have hoped for.

> END.


End file.
